1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to utility hauling vehicles and more particularly relates to latches and supports for sidewalls of cargo boxes of such vehicles.
2. Description of Related Art
Various hauling vehicle tailgate designs are known which include a cargo box having side walls and a tailgate which forms a rear wall thereof, the tailgate being mounted for pivoting about a horizontal axis at its bottom end between raised closed and lowered open positions. At least one such utility vehicle has sidewalls which also may be pivoted about a horizontal axis. Typically, a latch is provided at each upper corner of the tailgate for retaining the tailgate in its closed position and a flexible element, such as a cable, is provided which extends between each upper corner and the upper rear portion of each sidewall of the box for retaining the tailgate in an open position wherein it forms a horizontal extension of the bed or floor of the box.
These known tailgate latches and supports include many parts which, in most cases are either not designed or are not tight enough to keep the tailgate from rattling while the vehicle is operated with the tailgate open. For example, flexible cables suspend the tailgate but don't provide support against upward pivoting. Therefore, the tailgate (and cargo resting on the tailgate) may flop up and down as the vehicle travels across uneven terrain.
At least one such utility vehicle has sidewalls which also may be pivoted about a horizontal axis. The vehicle includes a complex system of pins, slots and slides used to hold the tailgate and sidewalls in a generally horizontal position. Such a system represents a relatively large cost to manufacture and maintain. Also, conversions from cargo box to flat bed, and vice versa, require substantial time and effort. In addition, the sliding movement of components requires a relatively precise alignment between parts. The relative sliding encourages wear of painted surfaces, which promotes rust. Dents in components or a moderate amount of dirt and debris may further hinder efficient operation.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,278,450, the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference, discloses a military vehicle body which includes various shiftable panels which may be arranged to assume different positions in order to adapt the vehicle for various uses, including a cargo truck, a personnel carrier, and an emergency ambulance. A plurality of side panels are arranged to hinge downwardly and outwardly to extend the width of the floor. The lower surfaces of the side panels are arranged to rest against upper surfaces of hand grips which are provided on the outer surface of the vehicle body. The hand grips are permanent protrusions which extend the effective width of cargo box even where side panels not extended outwardly. Also, lowering the side panels to rest on the hand grips does not create a flat bed, since panels above wheel wells are higher than others. In addition, the panels are not secured and can flop up and down.